DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-2 and 6-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 20230023706 by KUMIKO KAMBARA et al. (hereinafter KAMBARA).
Regarding claim 1, KAMBARA teaches: (Original) A radio wave control plate (meta-reflector 102 ¶ 0173, fig. 28) installed between (see fig. 28) a transmitter (transmitter Tx ¶ 0173, fig. 28) configured to transmit a radio wave (radio waves emitted from the transmitter Tx ¶ 0175, fig. 28) and a receiver (receiver Rx ¶ 0173, fig. 28) configured to receive (reach the receiver Rx ¶ 0175, fig. 28) the radio wave,
wherein a length (see fig. 28) in a first direction parallel to a reflection surface (surface 102s ¶ 0173, fig. 28) of the radio wave (see fig. 28) is from 75% to 125% of twice a radius of a circular region (the reflection angle can be maintained even at an incident angle exceeding 75° and approaching 90° ¶ 0191) defined according to a positional relationship between the transmitter (transmitter Tx ¶ 0173, fig. 28), the radio wave control plate (meta-reflector 102 ¶ 0173, fig. 28), and the receiver (receiver Rx ¶ 0173, fig. 28) (Thus the prior art makes the claimed range obvious, absent a showing of criticality.).
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435
668
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KAMBARA – Figure 28
Regarding claim 2, KAMBARA teaches: (Original) The radio wave control plate according to claim 1, wherein, when a distance between the transmitter (transmitter Tx ¶ 0173, fig. 28) and a center (see fig. 28) of the radio wave control plate (meta-reflector 102 ¶ 0173, fig. 28) is set as dt (d1 ¶ 0173, fig. 28), a distance between a center (see fig. 28) of the reflection surface (surface 102s ¶ 0173, fig. 28) and the receiver (receiver Rx ¶ 0173, fig. 28) is set as dr (d2 ¶ 0173, fig. 28), and a wavelength is set as λ (λ is the wavelength being used ¶ 0175, equation (1)), a radius r (radius R ¶ 0175, fig. 28) of the circular region (see fig. 28) satisfies following Equation (1-1) (Fresnel zone ¶ 0175, Equation (1)).
[Math 1]
r
=
λ
d
t
d
r
d
t
+
d
r
…
1
-
1
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KAMBARA – Equation (1)
Regarding claim 6, KAMBARA teaches: (Original) A communication system comprising:
a transmitter (transmitter Tx ¶ 0173, fig. 28) configured to transmit a radio wave (radio waves emitted from the transmitter Tx ¶ 0175, fig. 28);
a plurality of radio wave control plates (meta-reflector 102 ¶ 0075, fig. 2) configured to reflect (see fig. 2) the radio wave transmitted from the transmitter (The transmitter Tx is, for example, a base station BS ¶ 0173, fig. 2 [BS1 and BS2]); and
a receiver (receiver Rx ¶ 0173, fig. 28) configured to receive (reach the receiver Rx ¶ 0175, fig. 28) the radio wave reflected (see fig. 2) by the plurality of radio wave control plates (meta-reflector 102 ¶ 0075, fig. 2; Receiver Rx is, for example, equipment located in the production line 3 ¶ 0173),
wherein a length (see fig. 28) in a first direction parallel to a reflection surface (surface 102s ¶ 0173, fig. 28) of the radio wave is from 75% to 125% of twice a radius of a circular region (the reflection angle can be maintained even at an incident angle exceeding 75° and approaching 90° ¶ 0191) defined according to a positional relationship between the transmitter (transmitter Tx ¶ 0173, fig. 28), the plurality of radio wave control plates (meta-reflector 102 ¶ 0173, fig. 28), and the receiver (receiver Rx ¶ 0173, fig. 28) (Thus the prior art makes the claimed range obvious, absent a showing of criticality.).
Regarding claim 7, KAMBARA teaches: (Original) The communication system according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of radio wave control plates (meta-reflector 102 ¶ 0075, fig. 2) are installed such that, when coordinates of each of a plurality of elements comprised in each of the radio wave control plates (meta-reflector 102 ¶ 0075, fig. 2) are plotted on a graph (see fig. 33A) indicating a position on a horizontal axis (horizontal axis represents the position (m) ¶ 0200, fig. 33A) and a transmission phase on a vertical axis (vertical axis represents the phase (degrees) ¶ 0200, fig. 33A), the coordinates are not on a straight line (see fig. 33A).
Regarding claim 8, KAMBARA teaches: (Original) The communication system according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of radio wave control plates (meta-reflector 102 ¶ 0075, fig. 7) are installed such that the plurality of radio wave control plates (meta-reflector 102 ¶ 0075, fig. 7) aligned side by side (see fig. 7) are installed spaced apart from each other (The meta-reflector 102 are separated by the support body 11 which has a frame 111 and a bridge electrode 112. See fig. 7-8) with a gap (frame 111/bridge electrode 112 ¶ 0108-0109, fig. 8) that is five times or more of a wavelength of the radio wave (The width WFRM of the frame 111 is preferably 150 mm or less, more preferably from 20 mm to 60 mm ¶ 0108, fig. 8; The width WBRG of the bridge electrode 112, which serves as a conductive bridge, is preferably 100 mm or less, more preferably from 10 mm to 50 mm ¶ 0109, fig. 8).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The prior art fails to anticipate or make obvious claim 3 because although the art of KAMBARA teaches a meta-reflector, a transmitter, a receiver and a reflection angle maintained even at an incident angle exceeding 75° and approaching 90°, the modification of the art of KAMBARA is incompatible with second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction. Further search and consideration did not find any combination of prior art can be found to incorporate all the claimed features.
The prior art fails to anticipate or make obvious claim 4 because although the art of KAMBARA teaches a meta-reflector, a transmitter, a receiver and a reflection angle maintained even at an incident angle exceeding 75° and approaching 90°, the modification of the art of KAMBARA is incompatible with second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction. Further search and consideration did not find any combination of prior art can be found to incorporate all the claimed features.
The prior art fails to anticipate or make obvious claim 5 because although the art of KAMBARA teaches a meta-reflector, a transmitter, a receiver and a reflection angle maintained even at an incident angle exceeding 75° and approaching 90°, the modification of the art of KAMBARA is incompatible with second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction. Further search and consideration did not find any combination of prior art can be found to incorporate all the claimed features.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSE A. MIRANDA GONZALEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-6070. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, REGIS J. BETSCH can be reached at 571-270-7101. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JOSE A. MIRANDA GONZALEZ/ Examiner, Art Unit 2844
/REGIS J BETSCH/ SPE, Art Unit 2844